Farmer sues sons, to whom he gave Rs 2 crore worth of land

He divided his 19 acres of land between his sons and entered into a mutual verbal agreement that each one would give the aged couple Rs 5,000 per month.

Property disputes between siblings are not new in India anymore. They usually arise between siblings that feel that the inheritance that they have gotten is not fair as the division of property was unequal. And this becomes even worse when the parents do not leave a will which distributes their assets among the children after their death.

While in India this might seem normal, to those not from the country this in itself may seem bizarre. But a case in Maharashtra has thrown up a new, yet sad, side to such property disputes, which may even amaze Indians.

Though the first part of the story, which deals with children who after getting their share of property chose not to take care of their parents, might not seem odd, the second part, of the parents suing their children is sure to do so.

And this is exactly what a couple, Baban Divekar and his wife Saraswati, have been forced to do after their children refused to honour their part of the deal.

Divekar, 75, a farmer had divided his 19 acres of land worth Rs 2 crore between his three sons and in return they made a mutual verbal agreement to give him Rs 5000 as a monthly maintenance, which they have now allegedly refused to do.

After months of having to go work for others and even begging to have some money, he and his 70-year-old wife have now reportedly gone to court in order to find justice.

The couple, residents of Karde village in Shirur, filed a case against their three sons - Balasaheb (50), Kisan (45) and Chandrakant (40) - under section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code for maintenance. While the first two sons are from Divekar's first wife, and the third is from Saraswati.

"On August 24, 2016, I handed over my land to my boys. For the first two months, they all sent money, but later, they started dilly-dallying. When I visited their homes, they just made me run around from one's house to the others. It amazes me now to think about how sweetly they used to talk to me before getting the property," Divekar, who is a TB patient, is reported to have said.

"I took a lot of pains to raise my children. My eldest son is a teacher and earns Rs 50,000 a month, while the other two are well-to-do farmers. Age has been taking its toll on me and my wife. I already have TB, for which I have to spend Rs. 2,000-3,000 on medicines." he has been reported to have said.

He has further added that this has led to him working on the farms of others as well as begging to get enough money to buy daily supplies. While others in the village have helped the couple, both realise that they won't be able to do it for long.

Divekar reportedly added, "For the last two weeks, I have been begging outside our village temple; I accumulate the loose change given by devotees and buy whatever food I can with it."

While Saraswati is quoted as having said, "Our daughter Seema, despite being married, is helping us. Even after having three sons, and raising them with so much love and pain, we've been left in this state with no one to look after us."

The two sons, Balasaheb and Kisan, reportedly feigned ignorance about the whole case and blamed the situation on a misunderstanding. While Chandrakant is quoted as having said, "I am a farmer and already suffering losses. Whenever I get some money, I first give some of it to my parents. I have even asked them to come and stay with me, as their hut is unlikely to withstand the test of monsoon."

OneIndia News